--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: [S]uppose you make a hole in an ordinary…" description: "\"[S]uppose you make a hole in an ordinary evacuated electric light bulb and allow the air molecules to pass in at the rate of 1,000,000 a second, the bu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/247/francis-william-aston-44310_air_s-uppose-you-make-a-hole-in-an-ordinary_2762745.jpg" --- # \[S\]uppose you make a hole in an ordinary evacuated… ![“[S]uppose you make a hole in an ordinary evacuated electric light bulb and allow the air molecules to pass in at the rate of 1,000,000 a second, the bulb will become full of air in approximately 100,000,000 years.” quote by Francis William Aston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/247/francis-william-aston-44310_air_s-uppose-you-make-a-hole-in-an-ordinary_2762745.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/247/francis-william-aston-44310_air_s-uppose-you-make-a-hole-in-an-ordinary_2762745.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/247/francis-william-aston-44310_air_s-uppose-you-make-a-hole-in-an-ordinary_2762745.jpg) > “\[S\]uppose you make a hole in an ordinary evacuated electric light bulb and allow the air molecules to pass in at the rate of 1,000,000 a second, the bulb will become full of air in approximately 100,000,000 years.” [Francis William Aston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-william-aston/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Even at a microscopic level, vacuum bulbs fill with air extremely slowly, illustrating vast time scales in physics **In simple terms:** Air slowly fills a vacuum over millions of years Key Takeaway Appreciate the immense time required for seemingly simple processes Themes physics time vacuum Mood thoughtful educational Type scientific philosophical When to use this quote - lecture - science communication Key Concepts scientific illustration educational content Questions to Reflect On - What does this reveal about perception of time? - How can this inform patience? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Air](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/air/) [Air Molecules](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/air-molecules-1409142/) [Bulb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bulb/) [Bulb Air](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bulb-air-3182131/) [Bulbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bulbs/) [Electric](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/electric/) [Electric light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/electric-light/) [Holes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holes/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Light bulb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light-bulb/) [Molecules](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/molecules/) [Ordinary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ordinary/) [Rate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rate/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [ I know of over 3,000 ways \[that\] a light bulb does not work. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/i-know-of-over-3-000-ways-that-a-light-bulb-does-not-work/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [How many amoebas does it take to screw in a light bulb? One, no two! No four! ...no eight!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bailey/how-many-amoebas-does-it-take-to-screw-in-a-light-bulb-one-no-two-no/) [Bill Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bailey/) > [Keep a good head and always carry a light bulb.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/keep-a-good-head-and-always-carry-a-light-bulb/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [We now have a president who tries to save money by turning off lights in the White House, even as he heads toward a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-goldwater/we-now-have-a-president-who-tries-to-save-money-by-turning-off-lights/) [Barry Goldwater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-goldwater/) > [I never once failed at making a light bulb. 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Sucking on it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/we-talked-death-with-burned-up-intensity-both-of-us-drawn-to-it-like/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) > [We live technologically, with man as the master of nature, man as the engineer, and let anyone who raises his voice against it stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-frisch/we-live-technologically-with-man-as-the-master-of-nature-man-as-the/) [Max Frisch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-frisch/) ## More by Francis William Aston > [The cosmical importance of this conclusion is profound and the possibilities it opens for the future very remarkable, greater in fact than any suggested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-william-aston/the-cosmical-importance-of-this-conclusion-is-profound-and-the/) [Francis William Aston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-william-aston/) > [ Should the research worker of the future discover some means of releasing this \[atomic\] energy in a form which could be employed, the human… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-william-aston/should-the-research-worker-of-the-future-discover-some-means-of/) [Francis William Aston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-william-aston/) > [Personally I think there is no doubt that sub-atomic energy is available all around us, and that one day man will release and control…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-william-aston/personally-i-think-there-is-no-doubt-that-sub-atomic-energy-is/) [Francis William Aston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-william-aston/) > [ Should the research worker of the future discover some means of releasing this \[atomic\] energy in a form which could be employed, the human… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-william-aston/should-the-research-worker-of-the-future-discover-some-means-of-2/) [Francis William Aston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-william-aston/) > [ If the atoms in \[a\] decimetre cube of lead were all put into a chain side by side the same distance apart as they… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-william-aston/if-the-atoms-in-a-decimetre-cube-of-lead-were-all-put-into-a-chain/) [Francis William Aston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-william-aston/) > [The whole of the hydrogen on the earth might be transformed at once and the success of the experiment published at large to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-william-aston/the-whole-of-the-hydrogen-on-the-earth-might-be-transformed-at-once/) [Francis William Aston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-william-aston/) > [It has long been known that the chemical atomic weight of hydrogen was greater than one-quarter of that of helium, but so long as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-william-aston/it-has-long-been-known-that-the-chemical-atomic-weight-of-hydrogen/) [Francis William Aston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-william-aston/) > [“Perhaps the most impressive illustration of all is to suppose that you could label the molecules in a tumbler of water. ... threw it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-william-aston/perhaps-the-most-impressive-illustration-of-all-is-to-suppose-that/) [Francis William Aston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-william-aston/) [Explore all 9 Francis William Aston quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-william-aston/) ## More Air quotes > [I will be a tireless advocate for our District's defense priorities including Sheppard Air Force Base, Pantex, Bell Helicopter, universities conducting important research, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronny-jackson/i-will-be-a-tireless-advocate-for-our-district-s-defense-priorities/) [Ronny Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronny-jackson/) > [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [If U.S. air, naval, missile, and ground forces were not in and around Korea, and if we were not treaty-bound to fight alongside South…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/if-u-s-air-naval-missile-and-ground-forces-were-not-in-and-around/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [The cooler days have brought a wistful mood upon him. 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